That Damn DAM!

I'm now into the break halfway through the 4-week Work Smarter, Not Harder class. The next assignment was to organize my work process. We do this by creating a DAM.

The DAM is supposed to keep you focused on one thing at a time, only what's in front of you. You put things into your DAM according to when you need to work on them - today, this week, next week, next month, etc.

I'm learning to work with this new system. I can see the value in using it, how it can help keep you focused and organized. My problem is that I find myself moving things around, putting things in, taking things out. Since it's still a new system for me, I keep thinking of stuff that needs to be in there - some small task or project I'd forgotten. I'm sure the process will get better as I get caught up, but for now, I just keep adding to it.

Sometimes I really don't want to work on what's in my DAM. I'd much rather do something else - like clean the oven or water the plants rather than bookkeeping or filing. But I love the sense of accomplishment when I've moved things out of my Today file - not because I'm postponing them or procrastinating, but because I actually got something done. I'm also beginning to get things out of my head and into a system. I don't worry so much about things falling through the cracks, or dropping one of the many balls I'm juggling each day.

Yes, it takes discipline. And I'm hoping this will give me some balance in my life. I'll keep you posted.

Purge, Purge, Purge... Oh Boy!

I started taking a class yesterday - one that I desperately need. 4 sessions over 6 weeks, with a 2 week break in the middle. The class is Work Smarter, Not Harder taught by my good friend Cathi Hight.

The first assignment is to organize my work space. Oh boy!

I'm moving furniture around, sorting through papers, tossing junk mail, deciding what to file, and what to shred. It's really pretty liberating. It feels good to get rid of unneeded junk and clutter. But it's hard to do, for a pack rat like me.

Why do we keep stuff we don't really need or want?

It gives me a sense of security, a sense of ownership. Even if it's junk, it's still mine. And if it's something I paid for, it must have some value. And if I need something, chances are it's in one of my piles or boxes - somewhere.

Sometimes I think that I may not need it now, but I might need it later. There have been times when I've regretted getting rid of something. This usually happens with clothing. I bought a pair of jeans that were a little too tight for me. I held onto them for a year or two, then finally decided that they'd never fit and gave them away. Of course, when I dropped a few pounds and went looking for them, they were nowhere to be found. Bummer. They were really cute jeans.

I hold onto things because I don't want to deal with them now. This is particularly true with mail. I hate sorting through the mail. I get so much junk mail, so many credit card offers I'm not interested in, mortgage refinance deals, and requests for donations to all sorts of charities. Mixed into it all are the bills I'm so happy to get each month. Occasionally, I actually get something I want.

It's always hard for me to get rid of things people have given to me. I feel guilty if I give them away. What if they come to my house or office and go looking for it? This is particularly true for my mother. It's hard for me to tell her that the orange fuzzy sweater just isn't my style, or the AA-battery-powered keyboard vac just won't do the job. She tries so hard, and I don't want to seem ungrateful.

I don't do garage sales. When I purge I throw the stuff away or give it to the local thrift store. I don't really have the time or energy it takes to put together a successful garage sale. And I'm afraid it will give me a chance to rethink my decision to get rid of something. I'll end up keeping more stuff than I sell. And what if no on wants my junk? How humiliating! At least at the thrift store, I'll never really know if anyone bought it or what they paid for it.

What I've discovered over the last couple of days (besides a lot of stuff I wanted but couldn't find and stuff I thought I'd wanted but really didn't) is that all the stuff weighs on you. It's confining, suffocating, smothering. It's stressful to see the piles. Purging may be scary, but it's freeing. Most of it can be replaced, usually with something better, if I really want it later. The things that are irreplacable go into a fireproof, waterproof safe. Anything else will be neatly organized and put in its proper place.

Rrriiiiiiiigghhtt.

15 Moooooooos

Although there are stacks of books I'd love to read, I don't have time to indulge myself the way I would like. This is a great summary of a follow up to Seth Godin's Purple Cow. The book is still on my list, but for now, I'll settle for this.

Memoirs of a Bystander: 15 things I learned from "The Big Moo"

Quantity vs. Quality Web Traffic

Seth's Blog: Different kinds of traffic

So many discussions of the issue of quantity vs. quality, whether it's time spent with children, money spent on clothing or shoes, reading romance novels or War and Peace, or hours in front of the television. Now here's another one for you: web site traffic.

We in the web marketing world talk about unique visitors, page views, and conversion. As Seth Godin illustrates here, it doesn't necessarily matter how much traffic you get to your site, but whether or not you're getting the right traffic.

I worked with a client who had signed a longterm contract with a company who promised to drive traffic to her web site where she was selling an audio CD. I have to admit that they did exactly that. Her site got lots of traffic, but no one bought her CD -- not one!

Now you may think that the problem was with her product, which wasn't the case. Her CD was professionally produced with quality information. You may say that the problem was with her web site, which was partly true. There were definately some improvements to be made that would promote her CD more effectively and allow for a more simple method of purchasing it.

But even if she had a horrible web site and a horrible product, you'd think that with the millions of visitors sent by the company, she would have sold at least one CD from her web site to an anonymous visitor. But no, the CDs she did sell were to people she met on her own or who were referred to her site by associates. Despite the imense quantity of traffic the big and expensive company sent to her site, the quality of traffic was seriously lacking.

Keep that in mind the next time someone tells you how many hits their site gets. First thing to ask is how that translates to unique visitors (since "hits" are pretty meaningless for marketing). Then ask what sort of results they're getting from all those visitors. Are they converting those visits into sales, referrals, phone calls, etc. They may not even know for sure.

As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that workin' for ya?"

Free or Not... That is the Question

An interesting debate over giving away content for free appeared on Seth Godin's blog over a couple of days last year. I find both arguments compelling, and I think the final answer is... "it depends."

Yes, giving away some content for free works great if what you want is to pique interest and spread an idea. However, there is something called "perceived value." In the minds of some consumers, free means flat out worthless.

Who is your target market? What do they want or expect? What sort of information are you delivering? Is it something your market would expect to and be willing to pay for? Or will they see value in it even if it's free? These are all questions you need to ask before you decide which way to go. Or, if you're a research kinda person, you could randomly take visitors to a page that is free or a page that charges and check the results.

I hope you'll read both posts, then let me know which side of the argument you're on.

Seth's Blog: Forty to One

Seth's Blog: Is "free" all it's cracked up to be?

Fraudulent Charities

It seems that with every tragedy, those who prey on the vulnerable come crawling out from under rocks to make their appearance on the Internet. It was reported on the news the other day that since the sudden and shocking death of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, hundreds of fraudulent charities have cropped up on the Internet, using Irwin's name and memory to solicit donations from sympathetic visitors. We saw the same type of fraudulent activities after the 9/11, Tsunami and Gulf Coast Hurricane tragedies.

Remember to give generously, but give wisely. Just because a charity has a web site doesn't mean it's legitimate. Check it out before you donate. This is also a reminder to nonprofits to be sure your information on your web site and on lists such as GuideStar, Give.org, and Network for Good is up to date. For more information, read "Give Generously, but Give Wisely."

Impact Lab - 5 Predictions for 2006

This is a great to-the-point interview with marketing guro Seth Godin on the future of digital marketing. Check it out and let us know what you think!

http://www.impactlab.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6872

Find useful articles on our Web site

You'll find great articles on everything Internet and marketing on our Web site at www.wholebraintech.com/articles.asp. We'll be adding more new ones soon, so keep checking back.

Blogging, e-newsletters, and all this marketing stuff takes time.

I'm often amazed at just how much time it takes to do all this promotional stuff. Thinking of more clever things to do to get the word out about my business. Planning for the upcoming year.

What worked in 2005? What didn't? What should we continue in 2006? What do we cut back? What do we eliminate? What do we do first? What will generate the most results, the greatest ROI, the most bang for the buck?

How do you know what worked and what didn't? When it comes to their Web site, most people don't have a clue. They don't know how to track the results of their marketing in general, much less their Web site. Maybe they'll talk about "hits" but don't really know what a "hit" is. In my classes, I ask them to define a hit, and I get all variety of answers. Many people think their web site is effective if it shows up on search engines. Or they think it's not effective if they aren't getting a lot of people emailing them to make appointments. But without a system in place for measuring results, with clear goals and expectations, how will they know if the site is really delivering?

Well, I have news for all those people. I'm going through the same thing now! Reviewing my tracking reports. Evaluating where to put my time and energy next year. Looking at incorporating more and more online techniques to achieve a greater reach.

It's tough when you want to do so many things -- but you can't do everything today. Keep watching (or should I say reading). You may notice some new things in the works for Whole Brain Technologies.

New US Giving Survey Released: Impact of Disaster-Relief Fundraising on Nonprofits

New US Giving Survey Released:
Impact of Disaster-Relief Fundraising on Nonprofits

~ 72% of respondents believe that fundraising for disaster-relief missions has reduced giving to other missions

~ Trust & donor fatigue are issues

~ Small to Medium size nonprofit organizations most impacted by funding shortfalls

Denver, CO - December 13, 2005 A new national survey released today by several firms working with nonprofit organizations confirms that donors need to dig deeper in 2005. Funding shortfalls at nonprofit organizations are another disaster in the making--loss of key services.

Read the press release and get access to the full report at http://www.wholebraintech.com/pr20051213.shtml.

Watch for the December issue of Brainstorm!

The December issue of Brainstorm! will be out soon. If you haven't signed up already, go to www.wholebraintech.com and sign up for our mailing list.

Brainstorm! is our monthly e-newsletter packed with tips and information about how you can leverage the Internet to build your business. We have articles from the Right Brain, the Left Brain, guests, and more! Each month features a new Freebie, a little Brain Candy, news and information.

December 2005 will focus on New Year's Resolutions to Help You Use the Internet to Build Your Business. You won't want to miss it!

If, after you receive your first copy, you decide it's not for you, it's easy to unsubscribe. In fact, you can do that at any time.

Don't wait! Sign up now!

Getting my excitement back!

I've been working on my marketing plan for 2006. Trying to think of new ways to "get the word out" has been discouraging. I needed some new motivation, new inspiration. So I decided to take a class -- although it was something I already knew -- online marketing. "Sharpening the saw," as Steven Covey says.

It was a great move! Although it didn't provide a ton of new information, and I didn't agree with everything the instructor said, it validated and reinforced what I already knew. And it got me to thinking about how to put online marketing techniques into better practice for my own company, not just my clients. Sometimes I focus so much on what I'm doing for everyone else, that I forget about myself (personally and in business).

It got me to think in new directions, focus on using what I already have in my toolbox, and try a few new opportunities. And best of all -- I'm excited again! I like what I'm doing. I'm climbing out of my rut. Moving again!

What a fabulous little kick that class provided!

Confession: I've been a terrible blogger

I realize that I've been a terrible blogger. I started out with really good intentions, but I just didn't keep up with it. My commitment waned. I used to have a diary, but not since I was a teenager. I guess I'm out of practice. I'm not in the habit of writing out my thoughts every night before I go to bed, like some of my friends. As one of the owners of a Web development firm, seems like I'm writing one thing or another - emails, web content, proposals, whatever - all day long, so the thought of spending time just writing, well, just doesn't occur to me. So, as we move closer to the start of 2006, I'm preparing for my New Year's resolution... to be a better blogger. To maintain my interest and commitment. And to believe that whatever pops into my head throughout the day, and whatever comes through my keyboard, someone might actually find worth reading. If not... well, it won't be for lack of trying.

ABC News: Person of the Week: Christian Pilet

ABC News: Person of the Week: Christian Pilet

The Internet is so often a scary place, sometimes a magical place, but a very special place nonetheless. When I read this story, it warmed my heart and made me proud to be a part of this industry. It reminded me of what the Internet is all about... connecting people. And this particular connection was very powerful indeed.

In case you haven't heard already, a mysterious digital camera was found in the sand after the South Asia tsunami. Christian Pilet managed to extract the photos from the camera's memory. He was determined to find out who was in the photos. Below is a short excerpt from the piece, but you should definately read the story in its entirety.

Pilet took the pictures around to several embassies in Thailand; he thought the couple might be Swedish or German. Nobody was able to help.

He took the pictures home to Washington, and on the very first night he was home, his wife, Nicole, looked to see if the people in pictures matched any photos on the Internet. Many families had posted photographs of the missing.

"The very first image she clicked on, she said, 'This is the guy.' And I remember thinking when I was falling asleep from jet lag that there's no way you just turn on the Internet and, in just the first click or two, find the people," Pilet said.

But it was true. Nicole had discovered photos of John and Jackie Knill from Vancouver, British Colombia. Their three sons had been searching desperately and had posted their parents picture on the Internet.

Beware Bogus FBI E-Mails Spreading Computer Virus

TheDenverChannel.com - Technology - Beware Bogus FBI E-Mails Spreading Computer Virus WASHINGTON -- If you get an unexpected e-mail from the FBI that tells you to open an attachment and answer questions, don't do it. That advice comes from the real FBI.

Revenge of the Right Brain

Wired 13.02: Revenge of the Right Brain from Wired.com.

Logical and precise, left-brain thinking gave us the Information Age. Now comes the Conceptual Age - ruled by artistry, empathy, and emotion.

The launch of RYLA

In partnership with Moo Interactive, Whole Brain Technologies has launched the new web site for Rocky Mountain RYLA, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.

Symantec Security Response - W32.Beagle.BA@mm

The Beagle Virus This virus uses its own SMTP engine to send email messages to any addresses found. The address in the "to" line may not be who the virus is actually coming from. So be cautious in blasting that person for sending you a virus. It may not be from them at all.

Whole Brain featured in Boulder County Business Report

Return of the king: content Web designers focus more on data, functionality, less on 'eye candy'

Computer Worm Exploits Tsunami to Spread Virus

FRANKFURT, Germany (Reuters) - A mass e-mail posing as a plea for aid tohelp the victims of last month's Asian tsunami disaster is actually avehicle for spreading a computer virus, Web security firm Sophos saidMonday. www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=UB1BCOU41LFHCCRBAEKSFEY?